Coming Clean
by Redundant Goddess
Summary: Being Turk wasn't a picnic; and she had known that from the start. She knew what the work entailed, in all of its gory glory. But still, for Elena, it's hard to wash the day away...


**Coming Clean**

Elena felt dirty.

_Drip_

The sound echoed through the still, steam filled bathroom. Elena watched subsequent ripple make its way toward her aching body.

It had been a hard day.

But then she was a Turk, and hard days were considered normal. However this one, this one had been tougher than most.

Elena grunted, as she twisted her neck and felt her muscles complain. Anyone would've thought she should've been used to it by now; she wasn't a green horn. Nor was she quite as naive as she had been back in those early days.

But in truth, the realities of the job never got easier to deal with.

The blonde glanced at her bruised knuckles, hissing slightly as they kissed the surface of the steamy water.

_Drip_

Physical pain she could manage. After years of training, many missions and other ordeals, Elena could cope with just about anything. Be it a stubbed toe to a leg broken in three places, the blonde could deal. It also helped her chosen profession happened to come with an excellent health plan, including some of the choicest pain killers money could and couldn't buy.

Elena snorted softly and smirked. Sometimes she thought she could open up her own Pharmacy from her bathroom cabinet alone.

_Drip_

The smirked slipped from her lips, as Elena caught her reflection in the water below her. Pale skin, dark shadows marring her complexion... in short she looked like shit warmed up.

_Still, you should've seen the other guy..._

Elena shook her sighed wearily and let herself slip further into the warm soapy water, till her whole head was drawn under.

Eyes closed, the blonde tried to block it all out. The ache from the work, the sounds of wailing and pleading, everything...

Being Turk wasn't a picnic; and she had known that from the start. She knew what the work entailed, in all of its gory glory. Her sister had told her as much.

Just like the interrogation that day.

It had started out as routine questioning, smuggling of some sort. It was a two man job, so to speak. Just Rude, herself and the unfortunate bastard in the soundproof cell. The set up was supposed to be her as good cop, and Rude as the bad. The guy seemed to be the sort to respond to the kind, more feminine touch if given the right motivation. Only the guy wouldn't budge, wouldn't say a word. It was infuriating. Turned out it was the other way round, especially when Reno had pulled them aside and given the two Turks the lowdown on the guy.

Not just smuggling, as it turned out. No, it was so much worse than smuggling.

It sickened Elena, and it had sickened Rude too. So, they quickly changed tactics. Elena still played the sweet naive good cop. Until that is, Rude returned a short while later with 'The Tray', and quickly made a swift exit.

It was then Elena dropped the act.

Picking up the first of twelve implements brought in on 'The Tray' she proceeded to do what every Turk worth their suit knew how to do well. She used all twelve tools of the trade, including her fists. No matter how hard he screamed, begged or pleaded, Elena just kept on and used every last one.

It took them three hours to clean the interrogation room after she had finished.

The sounds he made, the way his face contorted in pure agony as she just kept on, the look of terror in his eye...

Elena rose up from the water, gasping for breath. Water swirled, and crashed over her and the side of the bath, as she tried to calm her breathing.

_Drip_

She looked at her hands again.

Unclean, she felt wholly unclean, and dirty and depraved.

No matter how long Elena spent in that bath, washed herself again and again, all she could see and feel was the blood of that poor bastard on her hands.

She had done that. She had tortured the man to the point of death, not once, not even twice, but _twelve _times.

Some would've said he deserved it, one look at that file and most would agree that perhaps Elena hadn't done enough to him.

But then, wasn't she just as bad? Wasn't she an unclean monster with blood on her hands?

Elena sighed and washed her face with her hands for the umpteenth time, as her mind whirled downward into a mire of self hatred and regret.

_Drip_

"Hey, you okay in there?" A Soft voice called from the door way.

Elena turned her head to greet the owner of that voice.

Tifa smiled and tip toed her way across with bathroom towards the bathing blonde.

The brunet smiled, before slipping off her nightdress, and into the bath with her.

Elena groaned as she shifted to make way for her beautiful friend to lie beside her in the tub, not caring for a moment of all the water crashing to the floor below. The feel of her lovers slick skin, and comforting weight eased her troubled mind. Soft, calloused fingers made their way to the blondes shorter hair and Elena sighed in relief. The dark thoughts stopped, the images of the day faded into nothing.

She bent down and kissed Tifa's forehead and pulled her closer to her.

With Tifa she felt clean.

Elena wasn't sure how that was possible, but that was how she felt. They never talked about her work, with good reason. But that didn't seem to matter. Tifa just seemed to get it, to understand, without ever having to say anything. Every kiss, ever touch just seemed to wash away the layers of blood and guilt. With Tifa by her side, every sin she had committed just seemed to be absolved instantly.

It was good.

So good very, very good.

Elena pressed another grateful kiss to her lover's forehead.

"Thank you."


End file.
